What knives do you want for survival?

not2sharp

not2sharp

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Ok here is a hard one.

First of all, if this question bring to mind Rambo and some hollow handled marvel of cutlery technology, you have got it all wrong. I am not talking about Some loner malcontent social misfit on a suicide quest. I would like to know what knives you would want for the family, or better yet an extended group of family, friends and neighbors who are capable of creating and maintaining a stable and self-sustaining community. Most of us would agree that the Sebenza is a great knife; yet if all we had were a crate full of them we would probably fail. The wide variety of knives is out there for practical reasons. What would be the ideal mix of knives for us?

n2s
 
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A box full of CS SRKs or Recon Tantos. These knives are tough, inexpensive, light, and user-friendly. Those would be the main knives. Tip of the spear and all.

Other knives, depending on the camp budget, can include a machete, an ESEE Izula, and Morakniv blades. Depending on the community member’s role, he or she may need only one or two kinds of knives.

Blades would only be one aspect of a self-sustaining community though. We also gotta worry about food production and acquisition, medical needs, security and defense, hierarchy, etc.

Regarding the topic of defensive tools, guns would obviously be Plan A. If not, I’d make simple bows and spears from sticking knives on sticks.
 
A paring knife, a Rapala filet knife, an F. Dick 5 inch curved semi flex boning knife, a 10 inch K Sabatier au carbone chef knife, a Buck 110, an alox Swiss Army Cadet, a Leatherman Wingman, a 10 lb sledge, 3 and 5 lb wedges, an 8 lb splitting maul, a draw knife, a spoke shave, a box plane, a joining plane, and a 3.5 lb Jersey Pattern axe; might as well have an HI BAS kukri or a decent hatchet. Also 36 inch bow saw, a 20 inch bar chainsaw, a two man buck saw, a hand saw, a coping saw, and a Japanese z-saw with extra blades.
 
Easy one.

Plenty of Delicas/ Spydercos and Leathermans of all types.
Gotta have some wharncliffes and some serrated salts.
500 Stanley Utility Razors and 10,000 replacement blades.
After that, Busse Choppers, ESEE Choppers, some decent fillet knives any brand just not crap, some Cold Steel machetes and boar spears,
various Moras for wood carving and bush crafting, Shun kitchen knives, :)
lots of Swiss Army knives so the kids can help too :D
some CRKs to remember what humanity is capable of ;)
Some Williams Blade design, Ben Tendick, and Half Face Blades fighters for God knows what..:mad:
And 300 or so OTFs from Microtech to pass the time cause they're fun and handy too. :D

Good luck everybody else!:p:p:cool:
 
Well, all larger blades would be simple carbon steel because it's easiest to sharpen.
So:
SAK
Few Moras
ESEE 3
ESEE 4
SK-5 SRK
SK-5 Recon Tanto
ESEE Junglass
Hatchet
An Axe

This would probably cover it all.
 
I'd guess what our however many great grandparents you feel like going back used.

A "butcher knife", a 3.5 inch or so paring knife, a skinner, and a cleaver. (a cleaver is a type of knife) and maybe a froe.

Of course they also had other tools like an axe, adz, saw, wedge, shovel, and a hammer. They did not attempt to fell a tree, prep cords of wood, or to build so much as an outhouse, a chicken coop or even a fence, using nothing but a knife.

What our ancestors used hundreds (or even thousands) of years ago will work just as well today as back then.

No reason to "over think it" just some simple basic tools that are easy to maintain. (and edged tools that you don't need diamonds or more "advanced" materials than an Arkansas stone or smooth river rock, that may not be available, to sharpen them.)

Given your scenario, any folding knife may not be a very good idea. There are many types or patterns that would work, of course, at least for some of the tasks that would come up. However, a folding knife would not necessarily be the best choice or tool for any particular task.

If I were to add a folding knife, it would be a 3 layer SAK like the Huntsman or Fieldmaster, or a 4 blade Scout/Camp/"Demo" knife for the added tools. (especially the awl/punch.)
 
I could get by with a Swiss Army Camper and a Cold Steel Trailmaster. I have done so with less, many times in the past on wilderness survival trips. But one of these would not hurt either. Say what you like but the saw makes great fire tinder.

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I would give everyone a Vic recruit, a large Bucklite max, a Vaughan & Bushnell half hatchet, and an 18" imicasa machete , Council Tools Boys axe, 24" bow saw, and a 12" single cut mill bastard file.

They should already own kitchen cutlery.
 
afishhunter said:
I'd guess what our however many great grandparents you feel like going back used.

A "butcher knife", a 3.5 inch or so paring knife, a skinner, and a cleaver. (a cleaver is a type of knife) and maybe a froe.

Of course they also had other tools like an axe, adz, saw, wedge, shovel, and a hammer. They did not attempt to fell a tree, prep cords of wood, or to build so much as an outhouse, a chicken coop or even a fence, using nothing but a knife.

What our ancestors used hundreds (or even thousands) of years ago will work just as well today as back then.

No reason to "over think it" just some simple basic tools that are easy to maintain. (and edged tools that you don't need diamonds or more "advanced" materials than an Arkansas stone or smooth river rock, that may not be available, to sharpen them.)

Given your scenario, any folding knife may not be a very good idea. There are many types or patterns that would work, of course, at least for some of the tasks that would come up. However, a folding knife would not necessarily be the best choice or tool for any particular task.

If I were to add a folding knife, it would be a 3 layer SAK like the Huntsman or Fieldmaster, or a 4 blade Scout/Camp/"Demo" knife for the added tools. (especially the awl/punch.)
Click to expand...

That said, just give me power tools wherever possible. Honestly. Perhaps not as manly, rugged and retro but it's going to get the jobs done a whole lot faster and easier and create significantly superior results given the assumed lack of master craftsmen with a lifetimes experience doing this stuff entirely by hand as there would have been in each village pre industrial revolution.
 
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Any good quality knives work.

I always gift spydercos and morakniv knives to acquaintances and family. Not as unique presents, but as something they should have.
 
Filipino Barong to chop, slash and stab
Chinese forged Cleaver to cut, dice and score
Bk3 tactool to dig, pry and hack
Mora, opinel pass around pocket combo
Pliertool, sak personal backup combo
 
ESEE Laser Strike
Victorinox Scientist
Spyderco Pacific, serrated
Severtech Auto
Silky Saw Pocket Boy, 130mm
Bob Dustrude Quick Buck Saw
Estwing Hatchet
 
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Everyone should have a fixed and folder on them. I'll go ESEE 6 and CS Recon 1. A variety of Moras for food prep, fillet, and backup fixed blade knives.

1/3 of them with a variety of axes and hatchets.
1/3 with a variety of saws and folding saws.
1/3 with a variety of multi-tool/SAKs.

And we would form our self sustaining community next to a TN or Ky bourbon plant for unspecified reasons. :thumbsup:
 
gazz98 said:
And we would form our self sustaining community next to a TN or Ky bourbon plant for unspecified reasons. :thumbsup:
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Bourbon plant proximity would be useful for it's supply of anesthetics/antiseptics to treat possible accidents/injuries from our survival tools.
 
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